Want to Build a Cheap Home Gym? Here’s How to Spend Less Than $100

With gyms across the country closing to help combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, you’re probably wondering how you can keep up with your workout routine while also practicing for social distancing.

Enter the home gym.

Creating a home gym will not only help you stay in shape but could also save you money in the long run, considering the high cost of gym memberships and boutique fitness classes that can cost more than $20… for a single hour.

TPH editor Caitlin Constantine is no stranger to workout-related expenses. As a triathlete, a huge chunk of her disposable cash goes toward racing fees and nutrition. She’s completed two Ironmans, seven marathons and even two ultramarathons.

But those race fees add up, to say nothing of all the time and energy she spends on her extensive training. Why add in extra hours slogging back and forth to a gym?

However, she knows staying in shape can lengthen and improve lives in every way from preventing injury to counterbalancing mental health issues — which is particularly important during these stressful times — so she’s passionate about deconstructing the myth that fitness has to be complicated and expensive.

“It’s our birthright as human beings to be able to use our bodies and make the most of them,” she says.

So she was thrilled to share the details on the cheap home gym she built to help her cross-train cheaply and conveniently — all for less than $100.

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How to Build a Home Gym for Less Than a Benjamin

To ditch the expense of her fitness membership, Constantine built a home gym for under $100.

If that still seems pricy to you, keep in mind: You might spend that for just five Pure Barre classes or a few months of a gym membership. That doesn’t count activation fees or the gas you’ll spend getting there and back.

Once you stock your home gym, it’s yours to keep — no membership renewal necessary.

Constantine found hers at a sports store for $12, but you can find them online starting for less than $10. They usually come in a set of different tensile strengths, so you can customize your workout.

Constantine notes they’re a great addition to any runner’s fitness regime.

“As a runner, I’m constantly trying to strengthen my hips,” she says. Doing resistance-assisted clamshells and leg lifts helps her accomplish that goal, and also helps with her running-related knee issues.

Dumbbells

Full disclosure: This is the most expensive item on the list. Dumbbells can go for $8 or more each — and yes, that means a single dumbbell, not a set of two.

That said, dumbbells are awesome. They’re one of the most versatile and long-lived pieces of equipment you can add to your home gym.

Constantine sprung for two pairs — a 10- and 20-pound set, which she uses for everything from chest press lying on her stability ball to deadlifts.

Hers cost about $20 each, but the lighter ones are slightly cheaper if you’re not on Constantine’s super-strong level quite yet.

If you’re just starting out and aren’t sure where you stand — or squat, as the case may be — you might consider snapping up a set of several dumbbells, or an adjustable version. That way, you’ll have a few options to choose from, and you can scale in either direction if things prove to be too heavy (or too light!).

You can also find them (and anything else on the list!) pre-owned on Craigslist to cut your costs even further.

Constantine says you can find many online from hopefuls who purchased, and then never used, their weight racks. (“They ended up becoming an expensive clothes hanger” instead, she says.)

Other Home Gym Odds and Ends

Although you can craft an effective workout with any or all of the home gym equipment listed above, Constantine also picked up a few more odds and ends.

Since she practices yoga to round out her intense training, she’s got a yoga mat. You can get one as cheap as $20 or get fancy — Manduka mats are pretty expensive, but they do offer a lifetime guarantee!

And her next purchase? A doorway chin-up bar, as long as she can find a good place in her home to install it. They cost between $20 and $40 and work way more body parts than just your arms: core, back, shoulders, you name it.